Liberty Lagoon

Baton Rouge, La.

The basic concept for Liberty Lagoon was to create a man-made river (bayou) as the heart of the park, surrounded by a nice variety of rides for kids from tots to teens. Because the target audience includes individuals with varying swimming skills, pools are user-friendly, with very little water more than 3.5 feet deep.

Major attractions were located at the far corners of the park along with a remote restroom/filtration building to provide a feeling of enclosure. Multiple rental shade pavilions were constructed near the zero-beach entry and children’s play areas to supplement shade from existing trees.

This $6.6 million facility covers 3.2 acres and includes a 17,000- square-foot beach entry pool with an open flume water slide, a closed tube water slide, a water vortex, a 430-foot-long lazy river, wet deck social space, a water-crossing feature, an interactive play structure, and a 600-square-foot splash play area. There’s also a bowl slide, constructed for teens in the vibrant purple and yellow Louisiana State University Tiger colors.

Completed in 2011, the facility is located in Independence Park, and its design was inspired by multiple local influences, including nearby bayous and wildlife.